NEW FISSURES IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
The head-spinning developments exposed new fissures within Trump’s administration over Musk’s blunt-force approach. Even some Trump loyalists, such as Kash Patel, the newly installed FBI chief, told employees to hold off on replying.
Leavitt rejected any suggestion of rifts within the administration, saying everyone was “working as one team”.
Musk will attend Trump’s cabinet meeting on Wednesday, she said.
Employees at several agencies said they received conflicting guidance from leadership, leaving them unsure how to proceed.
The Department of Health and Human Services advised employees that if they chose to reply, they should refrain from mentioning specific drugs or contracts, according to an email reviewed by Reuters.
“Assume that what you write will be read by malign foreign actors and tailor your response accordingly,” the email said.
The acting director of OPM itself sent an email to the agency’s staff that said responding was voluntary “but strongly encouraged.”
The Trump administration plans this week to gut a unit within OPM charged with keeping track of all federal government human resource transactions including hiring, promotions, retirements and separations, two people familiar with the matter said.
The unit will be slashed from 64 people to just under a dozen, the people said.
OPM did not respond to a request for comment.
